The National Post: By Arman Aghbali
TORONTO _ The University of Toronto has hired its first full-time Muslim chaplain and the man taking up the post hopes to combat stereotypes surrounding the faith.
Amjad Tarsin is a 28-year-old of Libyan descent who hails from Ann Arbour, Mich. He began to devote himself to the religion when he was in university, dropping out of law school to get a degree in Muslim chaplaincy.
Tarsin sees himself as a different kind of Muslim chaplain, one who has travelled the world and identifies himself as a movie buff — especially when it comes to Japanese samurai films and the “Lord of the Rings” series.
“I think it’s important for students to realize they can still be Muslim and still be uniquely themselves,” he said.
Tarsin’s goal is to have an open dialogue with students and create a strong Canadian Muslim identity on a campus with close to 5,000 Muslim students.